1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a film formation method as well as a device manufactured by employing the method, and a method of manufacturing a device. More particularly, the invention relates to a film formation method of forming a pattern film in the vicinity of an atmospheric pressure without requiring a lowered-pressure environment, in manufacturing devices, and the devices manufactured by the method.
2. Description of Related Art
In the related art, in manufacturing a semiconductor device, after forming elements on the front surface of a wafer substrate, a wiring pattern is formed on the upper layer side of the elements.
FIG. 14(1)–FIG. 15(3) are schematics showing a related art patterning process. In order to form, for example, a wiring line on the front surface of a semiconductor wafer 1 as shown in FIG. 14(1), the surface of the semiconductor wafer 1, formed with an insulating film (not shown), is subjected to plasma CVD so as to form a wiring layer 2 on the upper layer of the insulating film, as shown in FIG. 14(2). Incidentally, the wiring layer 2 may well be formed by sputtering.
After the wiring layer 2 has been formed on the semiconductor wafer 1 in this manner, a resist film is formed over the wiring layer 2 by coating with a photoresist, and it is brought into a light exposure step and a photo-etching step, thereby to form a patterned resist film 3 as shown in FIG. 14(3).
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15(1), the semiconductor wafer 1 is brought into a dry etching step, at which the wiring layer 2 is etched using the resist film 3 as a mask. The resultant state is shown in FIG. 15(2). After the wiring layer 2 has been left only under the resist film 3 in this way, the resist film 3, overlying the wiring layer 2, is removed by a solvent.
Via such steps, a wiring pattern 4 can be formed on the surface of the semiconductor wafer 1 as shown in FIG. 15(3).
However, problems as indicated below have been involved in the manufacturing process stated above and a semiconductor device manufactured by the process.
Since most of the related art steps are carried out in vacuum states (lowered-pressure environments), vacuum processing facilities are indispensable to these manufacturing steps. Regarding the vacuum processing facilities, there has been the problem that, in performing the processing steps, energy consumption which includes energy relating to infrastructure equipment for the evacuation to surroundings, the circulation of cooling water, etc. becomes enormous to occupy more than 60% of energy which is necessary for the manufacturing process.
Herein, increase in the energy consumption is considered to be ascribable to the following constituents of the vacuum processing facilities: Chamber load lock to transfer workpieces from an environment under an atmospheric pressure into a vacuum state, and a plurality of dry pumps or turbo-pumps to bring a processing chamber into vacuum. Also included are the enlargements of footprints attributed to the pluralization of chambers to enhance a throughput, and the attendant enlargement of the area of a clean room, increase in the number of infrastructure equipment for keeping them, and so forth.
Moreover, with the plasma CVD, large quantities of PFC gases are used to provide chamber cleaning and are emitted to heavily burden the global environment with global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, etc.